09 January 2014

Sad memory of their loss to Barangay Ginebra the last time out came to mind as the Meralco Bolts bungled a six-point lead in the final minute of regulation play.

But this time, the Bolts had Gary David, Reynel Hugnatan and new acquisition Danny Ildefonso to save them in overtime.

David beat out KG Canaleta in a fierce shootout and Ildefonso made a decent debut as a Meralco player as the Bolts overcame the Express in a battle of will, squeezing out a crucial 92-88 win in extension play at the resumption of the PLDT MyDSL PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Saturday night (4 January 2013).

David came through with a conference-high 34 points while Ildefonso contributed 14 markers, six rebounds, five assists and one steal as Meralco checked a four-game slide and caught up with Alaska Milk at seventh place at 4-7.

“What an incredible test again. But this time we made sure we’ll come out on top,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.

Against Ginebra, the Bolts blew away a won ballgame as it squandered a five-point lead in the last 25 seconds.

“It was a scary game. Images of the Ginebra game were vivid in our mind. I just told players to come out fighting and make right decision in the end,” Gregorio said.

The Bolts survived the test even minus chief guard Mike Cortez who was sidelined by a knee injury. Cortez may be out for the next four months as he’s found to have suffered a ligament tear.

Jared Dillinger took over the playmaking chores and David stepped up in scoring as the Bolts came back to life, making some improvement in their bid while pushing the Express deeper down the cellar at 2-9.

“We’re still alive. But the very survival instinct to come out of poverty is the same instinct we need to come out and survive,” said Gregorio with his team locked in a tight fight with Globalport, Alaska, Barako Bull, San Mig Coffee and Air21 for the four remaining slots in the quarterfinals.

Earlier in the day, Talk n Text formalized its quarters entry with a 121-117 win over Alaska Milk also in extension play.

It’s the first pair of OTs seen in the league in 15 years.

Highlighting the Meralco-Air21 thriller were the whopping numbers produced by David, Canaleta and Asi Taulava.

David, averaging only 15 points a game in the tourney before this game, went 4-of-7 from the three-point area and finished with his best output in a Meralco jersey.

For Air21, Canaleta poured in 32 markers while Taulava collared 26 rebounds – the most by any 40-year-old PBA player.

At the finish in regulation, Canaleta fired three three-point bombs and the Express sent the game into overtime at 79.

David, however, won’t let his night go down in shambles.

With 29 points in regulation, he went firing again at the start of overtime and the Bolts lived on, nailing down the crucial victory.

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PBA Advisory

2017 Commissioner's Cup Format

The tournament allows teams to hire foreign players or imports with a height limit of 6-foot-10.

The top 2 teams will earn twice-to-beat edges over Nos. 7 and 8 while the No. 3 against No. 6 and No. 4 versus No. 5 pairing will be a best-of-three affair in the quarterfinals.

The semifinal stage will have a pair of best-of-five matches and the finals will be a race-to-four affair.

Gilas Pilipinas

Manila will host one of the three tournaments in the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The Philippine national men’s basketball team will try to pull off massive upsets against France, New Zealand, Canada, Turkey and Senegal in the competition slated on July 5 to July 10 at Mall of Asia Arena.

A total of 18 teams will participate in the three-nation event whose champions will book tickets to the 2016 Rio Olympics.